UK employees at World Duty Free, which is part of leading global travel retailer Dufry, have voted for Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) becoming the company’s latest charity partner.
World Duty Free has committed to the partnership for the next three years and will support CCLG with both fundraising and awareness raising. The business has a long-standing record of supporting charities and other good causes, and its most recent partnership, with the mental health charity Mind, saw colleagues raise more than £175,000 across three years.
Following that partnership’s conclusion, World Duty Free teams were able to nominate charities for the next one - as long as their charity covered all of the UK and supported local communities - before colleagues were asked to vote on those put forward.
CCLG was nominated by Julie Grange, a customer service leader on nights based in Manchester Terminal 1, whose daughter Jessica, 12, is currently undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Julie said:
“I nominated CCLG because I wanted to raise awareness of childhood cancer and help towards research.
“It wasn’t until we were admitted to Ward 84 at the Royal Manchester Hospital that we realised how many children and their families are affected by childhood cancer and how many types there are, and the fact that children of all ages are affected.”
A perfect fit for the organisations's charitable efforts
Speaking on behalf of World Duty Free, Geoff Hall, HR Director for Dufry UK, said that CCLG was a perfect fit for the organisation’s charitable efforts, particularly given it’s a cause close to the hearts of many of its people.
“Our colleagues are very excited and proud to be supporting such a wonderful charity.
“Many of our teams have been impacted first-hand by the devastating effects of cancer and we have several parents in our teams whose children are currently undergoing treatment.
“It’s great to be supporting a charity that helps families during such difficult times, as well as raising awareness to support others.
“We want to help CCLG find better and kinder ways to treat childhood cancers. CCLG also supports the ongoing wellbeing of whole families during and after treatment and we know that the emotional health of our teams and their families is an imperative part of surviving cancer.
“The work CCLG does in terms of raising awareness of childhood cancer and helping to raise much-needed funds for research makes it a very good fit for World Duty Free in the UK.
“All our staff are extremely excited to get behind CCLG to raise much-needed funds and awareness and have already started planning and are keen to get going!”
A very good fit for World Duty Free in the UK
Julie said Jessica is doing well, with treatment due to finish this month, and praised her daughter for the strength and maturity she’s shown since being diagnosed as a 10-year-old, in November 2019.
She said:
“Jessica attends school and manages to keep up, even though she’s missed a lot through hospital visits.
“She’s unable to walk far or do any physical sports due to the effects of chemotherapy and she really misses horse riding and swimming.
“She’s shown so much courage and resilience, and a heavy duty of responsibility lays on her to make sure she covers all her medication.
“When she started secondary school, she had very little hair and didn’t know anyone attending the school, but she walked straight in with her head held high.
“And now, as a Year 8 pupil, she’s a popular individual who shows real maturity and determination to succeed and do well.”
Proud and honoured
For Julie, the abundant support she’s received from colleagues and the business since Jessica’s diagnosis has been greatly comforting, and she’s “proud and honoured” that it’s continuing in the form of the partnership with CCLG.
She said:
“I’m absolutely delighted that my World Duty Free colleagues selected CCLG, as those around me and that work with me in Manchester have all been part of my journey and have followed Jessica’s progress.
“From when Jessica was first diagnosed with leukaemia and throughout her treatment so far, World Duty Free has been amazingly supportive and especially through the difficult times during 2020.
“To now have World Duty Free continuing to support, by way of fundraising for CCLG, is truly wonderful.”
‘Active in April’ fundraising campaign
World Duty Free’s fundraising plans are already taking shape, with a number of events and activities proposed for the coming months.
Geoff Hall commented:
“We’re looking at activities to support raising awareness about the charity in the first quarter of 2022.
“Staff are then planning an ‘Active in April’ fundraising campaign where we will encourage teams to get involved in physical activities to raise money.
“There’s already talk from some colleagues of skydives and marathons, as well as team challenges such as rounders and sports days between departments and locations.”
Changing the future for children with cancer
Gill Smitherman, CCLG’s Head of Fundraising, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome World Duty Free as our new charity partner and we’re so grateful to everyone there who voted for CCLG, and particularly Julie for nominating us.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with them and seeing what can be achieved. Their support will go a long way in helping us change the future for children with cancer.”
Geoff Hall concluded:
“We’re extremely proud of our staff and the many charitable and fundraising initiatives they’ve undertaken over the years.
“We strongly believe that the most vulnerable in our communities need the continuous support of World Duty Free and companies like us and that’s something we’re totally committed to continue doing, supported by the great involvement and dedication of our employees.”